The Gentle Fist Has Its Limits

The atmosphere inside the Main Hall was stiflingly oppressive, the air seeming to solidify into a physical substance as the gazes of Hyuga Suigetsu and the others remained locked onto Hyuga Satoru.

After a moment of silence, Hyuga Satoru spoke.

"I also wanted to go to the clan's training ground, but most of those who go to train are chunin and Genin. I'm not even a ninja, so how could I possibly compete with them for space? I can only train at home every day."

"My Magnet Release bloodline ability is something I only recently developed. Before this, I had very little understanding of Kekkei Genkai. My parents passed away early, leaving me to live all alone, and I didn't have the energy to think about much else."

After saying that, Hyuga Satoru fell silent. In this situation, the best method was to play the pity card and act a little dense. Anyway, he was a total nobody in the clan; even if the Main Family had files on him, they definitely wouldn't be extensive.

Hyuga Suigetsu exchanged glances with the surrounding elders after hearing this. Indeed, they had investigated Hyuga Satoru's situation long ago. If not for the matter of the dual bloodline limit, he would be the type of person with the least presence in the clan, someone almost no one would normally notice.

Nodding, Hyuga Suigetsu's voice softened a fraction. "Since you have awakened a second bloodline, no matter what, we will not let you live as you did before. Starting today, your living allowance is tripled."

"Thank you very much, Clan Head."

Hyuga Satoru bowed in gratitude. This could actually be considered an unexpected windfall.

Then, Hyuga Suigetsu's gaze suddenly turned sharp, his tone shifting abruptly. "I hear that you have grown dismissive of the Gentle Fist and even arbitrarily tampered with the foundational Gentle Fist techniques. Is this true?"

Silence once again fell over the Main Hall.

Hyuga Satoru did not speak. Needless to say, Iroha had naturally snitched on him.

"Yes."

A trace of displeasure appeared in Hyuga Suigetsu's eyes as he frowned and said.

"The reason our clan has stood tall in the ninja world for a thousand years relies entirely on the foundations of the Gentle Fist and the Byakugan. The foundations of the Gentle Fist must not be tampered with. Do you understand?"

Hyuga Satoru pondered slightly, probing with a question.

"Clan Head, I would like to ask: the Gentle Fist has allowed the Hyuga Clan to stand tall in the ninja world for a thousand years, but over all these years, has the Gentle Fist ever changed?"

Hyuga Suigetsu thought for a moment. "Although the Gentle Fist underwent evolution from its inception, it eventually stabilized and became the most suitable technique for our clan, capable of handling all changes. It has remained this way for hundreds of years."

"Clan Head, I learned about Tailed Beasts from the notes left behind by my father. I wonder if the Gentle Fist can deal with Tailed Beasts?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Hyuga Suigetsu's brow furrowed slightly.

Hyuga Satoru paused, speaking softly. "The Gentle Fist has its limits."

"Enough!"

Hyuga Suigetsu interrupted him with dissatisfaction.

"The reason our clan can stand tall to this day relies entirely on the foundations of the Gentle Fist and the Byakugan. Do not think that just because you awakened Magnet Release you can walk some other path. I am telling you, compared to the Gentle Fist, Magnet Release is worth less than dirt!"

The Branch Family guard beside Hyuga Satoru bowed tremblingly, a look of helplessness and bitterness on his face as a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

He didn't understand why Hyuga Satoru had to bring up this topic; one had to know that the Main Family elders were far too sensitive about the Gentle Fist.

Hyuga Satoru sighed inwardly.

Putting aside the fact that the Gentle Fist had virtually no long-range capability, with even its sole Empty Palm attack having a severely limited range, this alone strictly capped the upper limit of the Gentle Fist.

Most importantly!

The ossified cultivation of the Gentle Fist left Hyuga ninja with almost zero possibility of developing other abilities of the Byakugan!

A Byakugan bloodline with several kilometers of X-ray vision was stubbornly played by the Hyuga into mere scouts.

The Gentle Fist might once have been the foundation upon which the Hyuga stood in the ninja world, but now, it was the shackles of the Hyuga Clan, just like the Caged Bird Seal.

Only by shattering these shackles could the Hyuga break and then stand anew!

Hyuga Suigetsu impatiently waved a hand. "Fine, this matter ends here. You may return!"

"Yes."

After Hyuga Satoru and that Branch Family guard left, Hyuga Suigetsu gazed at the young man behind him and asked in a deep voice.

"Hiashi, how do you view that Hyuga Satoru?"

Hyuga Hiashi was a descendant whom Hyuga Suigetsu thought very highly of, always keeping him by his side and cultivating him as his successor.

Hiashi thought for a moment and said, "Since he is the very first dual-bloodline ninja in Hyuga history, his future development certainly won't be bad. It's just that his lack of emphasis on the Gentle Fist will likely become an obstacle on his path."

Hyuga Suigetsu let out a cold snort.

"Abandoning the study of the Gentle Fist to instead research some crooked, unorthodox paths—his achievements will surely be limited. In the end, he is merely a member of the Branch Family."

Hearing those final words, Hyuga Hiashi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately fell silent.

Outside the Main Hall, that Branch Family guard wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at Hyuga Satoru with some anxiety.

"Satoru! You have too much nerve! How could you actually dare speak ill of the Gentle Fist right in front of the Clan Head!"

Hyuga Satoru's gaze flickered.

This was his first contact with the Main Family higher-ups, and their stubborn corruption was laid completely bare. Clearly knowing the Gentle Fist could be improved, they remained obstinate and rigid, preaching that the ancestors' laws could not be altered.

However, this wasn't entirely a bad thing for him.

After today, the Clan Head would presumably maintain his dismissive attitude toward him, which actually favored his development of electromagnetic force abilities.

Dispelling the thoughts in his mind, Hyuga Satoru scratched his head and smiled as he looked at the Branch Family guard.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Oh right, I still don't know your name."

"Hyuga Hiragi. You can just call me Uncle Hiragi."

"Alright, Uncle Hiragi."

Hyuga Hiragi seemed to recall something as he gazed into the distance, a trace of nostalgic sentiment appearing on his face.

"Before your father passed away, he also executed missions with me. Although we didn't converse much, I could tell he was a very honest man."

"My tasks every day are far too numerous, so aside from distributing your relief funds, it's been difficult to have much interaction with you. However, if you have any cultivation problems in the future, you can come find me."

"Then thank you, Uncle Hiragi."

Hyuga Satoru said with a smile. Hyuga Hiragi was a Jonin; even if Satoru didn't follow the Gentle Fist system, there should still be areas where he could ask for advice.

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